Writing a letter to yourself at another age can be both thoughtful and challenging. We’ve selected some ages of yourself you can write to in the title. Or you can pick one of your own. Here’s a poem excerpt that you’ve probably heard to get started thinking ahead.

“When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me,
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired,
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells,
And run my stick along the public railings,
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
~ Jenny Joseph from “Warning” 1961 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Joseph

The question is,

“Who, and how do you want to be in the future?”

The Type Bar Practice: A ‘Speaker’ participant dictates a letter to a ‘Typist’ participant. This practice allows the Speaker to reflect as s/he composes a letter out loud. The Typist explores their listening and creative skills by helping draft, clarify, and hand type the letter.

The Solo Practice: The participant types the letter themselves. This can be useful for deeply personal letters of for when you want to explore type art on the page.

Use one of the two practices above and start by picking how many years out you want to address yourself. Writing to yourself in two or five years can be a great tool for organizing goals and specific outcomes. If you choose to write to yourself farther into the future, this might prompt more general or conceptual ideas.

Once you pick the age and year you want to write to, the sheet is open. You may want to give yourself advice. You may want to ask questions. It can be useful to describe small details about what you are experiencing in the moment, as they may prove to have some meaning in the future when you eventually open the letter.

When you have written your letter, be sure to mark the outside of the envelope with an open date. Then seal your letter and use the Type Bar service to mail it to yourself for safe keeping.

Examples

“Dear Future Self,
It’s Tuesday, September 30th, 2011. We’ve been at this festival for two days now. Happy Birthday. Some questions: Do you still live in San Francisco? Are you in love? Do you love the way you want to love? Do you live life to the fullest? Do you hold any regrets?….. Don’t forget: Take risks. Love openly and honestly. Show your appreciation often. Find what you love to do and then find a way to make money from it. Be happy. Love yourself. Always be inspired. Looking forward to getting to know you,
You know who”